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15:35, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Why are game links formatted this way?

Posted by Dr. Mindermast
Dr. Mindermast
member, 594 posts
not psycho, still Josh
djmindermast.bandcamp.com
Thu 23 May 2019
at 02:16
  • msg #1

Why are game links formatted this way?

Whenever I copy a link to a game, the link always includes a date stamp in it.  I'm curious - what purpose does that serve?  I know the link still works if I cut that part off, so it's not essential, but what does it add?
horus
member, 744 posts
Wayfarer of the
Western Wastes
Thu 23 May 2019
at 06:51
  • msg #2

Why are game links formatted this way?

In reply to Dr. Mindermast (msg # 1):

I'm definitely not the expert here, but some of the variables in the URL are things like:

gi = game id number?
ti = topic index number?

date looks like it might be in "since the start of the epoch" format:  usually expressed as the number of seconds since 0000, 01 Jan 1970 (also called Unix Epoch format).

Let's see now:  1,558,577,777 seconds.

Now some conversion factors:
60 seconds = 1 minute
3600 seconds = 1 hour
86,400 seconds = 1 day (non-sidereal time)
etc., ad nauseum...

type-ety type, draggedy poke, ciphery, ciphery, ciphery...

Hmm...  Thursday, May 23, 2019 02:16:17 GMT?

Yup... looks about right.

(Psst... I cheated.  https://www.epochconverter.com/)

This makes me believe that RPoL is using these datestamps to capture state for purposes relating to database updates that occur on the server end.

Jase would be the one who really knows.
This message was last edited by the user at 06:54, Thu 23 May 2019.
nauthiz
member, 593 posts
Thu 23 May 2019
at 07:21
  • msg #3

Why are game links formatted this way?

Might have to do with how rpol tracks what you've looked at and what you haven't.  The "new message indicators" are based on rpol knowing when the last time you've been to the website is, and when you've visited individual pages.
horus
member, 746 posts
Wayfarer of the
Western Wastes
Thu 23 May 2019
at 08:19
  • msg #4

Re: Why are game links formatted this way?

nauthiz:
Might have to do with how rpol tracks what you've looked at and what you haven't.  The "new message indicators" are based on rpol knowing when the last time you've been to the website is, and when you've visited individual pages.


That does sound entirely reasonable.  I wonder... a while back we were having problems with Chrome not correctly flagging stuff as new.

Thanks for giving me something to think about.
theseeker
member, 8 posts
Thu 23 May 2019
at 15:44
  • msg #5

Re: Why are game links formatted this way?

I have also thought it might be related to the way that rpol manages pages of posts.  The page a specific post is on can be on different page numbers over time, as new posts are added.  That date stamp might be a way to let rpol figure out where to start counting to figure out what page the link post should reference
horus
member, 749 posts
Wayfarer of the
Western Wastes
Thu 23 May 2019
at 16:43
  • msg #6

Re: Why are game links formatted this way?

In reply to theseeker (msg # 5):

Hmm... a topic index number could accomplish the page counting much more simply than an epoch date.

Where one sees epoch dates more often is in databases...

It's like I said earlier, jase would be the one who would definitively know what's going on here.
bigbadron
moderator, 15734 posts
He's big, he's bad,
but mostly he's Ron.
Thu 23 May 2019
at 16:45

Re: Why are game links formatted this way?

As I recall jase has said that the date stamp is an attempt to force certain browsers to recognise that an updated page is not the same as the original, and to display new message indicators when the page is refreshed.
Dr. Mindermast
member, 595 posts
not psycho, still Josh
djmindermast.bandcamp.com
Fri 24 May 2019
at 01:41
  • msg #8

Re: Why are game links formatted this way?

Well alright then, curiosity satisfied.  Thanks!
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